Men's Basketball
Brett Reed
- Title:
- Murray H. Goodman '48 Head Coach
- Email:
- lehighmbb@lehigh.edu
- Phone:
- 610-758-4308
- Alma Mater:
- Eckerd '95BA, Wayne State '97MA, '03PhD
The 2012-13 season is Dr. Brett Reed’s sixth as the Murray H. Goodman ’48 Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Lehigh University. In five years on the sideline, Reed has by far the most victories by a Lehigh head coach in his first five seasons and has won 75 percent of his games at Stabler Arena, which is second on the Lehigh leaderboard. His 60.0 career Division I winning percentage is tops among active Patriot League coaches. Last season, Reed led the Mountain Hawks to a school-record 27 wins, the program’s third Patriot League Championship and second in the last three seasons.
Lehigh made history in 2011-12, posting its best season in school history. The Mountain Hawks set a school record for nonleague wins (12), tied a record for Patriot League victories (11) while shattering the previous wins record of 22. Along the way, Lehigh also played tough against BCS Conference foes, including NCAA Tournament #1 seed Michigan State, holding a 38-35 lead at the half in a valiant effort that fell just short.
That effort was a precursor of what would follow as Lehigh pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. The Mountain Hawks topped Duke, 75-70, becoming only the sixth #15 seed to ever beat a #2 seed and second in the same day (Norfolk State defeated Missouri just hours earlier). C.J. McCollum led the way with 30 points as Lehigh never trailed by more than five and was leading for much of the game. Mountain Hawks’ largest lead came in the final minute (eight) as the squad always had an answer for the Blue Devils’ runs.
That effort put the Lehigh men’s basketball program squarely on the map as over the ensuing days, the Mountain Hawks were featured in an endless number of national media outlets including SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and much more. Entering this season, the Mountain Hawks are ranked among the mid-major’s best teams by numerous outlets while McCollum has already been named a First Team All-American by Sporting News.
In 2009-10, Reed led Lehigh to its second Patriot League Tournament Championship, its first outright regular season league title, the most wins in school history (at the time) and the most-ever wins at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks also led the Patriot League in scoring offense, scoring margin, three point percentage, assist to turnover ratio and defensive rebounds. Their 220 made three-pointers established a new school record.
During that championship season, Reed mentored McCollum, who became the first player in Patriot League history to be named the Player and Rookie of the Year while also earning a spot on the Sporting News and CollegeInsider.com All-Freshmen Teams. Reed also saw three other players earn All-League laurels with seniors Marquis Hall and Zahir Carrington named to the Second Team and freshman Gabe Knutson to the All-Rookie squad. In addition, Hall received his second consecutive Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and Lehigh’s starting five of Dave Buchberger, Carrington, Hall, McCollum and Knutson achieved an average grade point average of 3.2.
Reed continued the success into 2010-11, leading the Mountain Hawks to their second straight Patriot League Semifinal appearance where they fell just short of advancing to their second straight championship game. Lehigh enjoyed a strong non-league season, winning five of its final six heading into Patriot League play. The nine victories tied for the second most non-league wins in school history while compiling the most non-league victories over a three-year span in school laurels. Success continued into Patriot League play as the Mountain Hawks led the league in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. They also garnered the most Patriot League weekly awards (10), including a record-breaking six player of the week honors for McCollum.
The success also translated into the classroom as Rob Keefer was named a candidate for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, becoming the second Mountain Hawk in as many years among the 30 candidates. A year earlier, Hall was a finalist as he and nine other student-athletes traveled to Indianapolis to take part in festivities surrounding the Final Four.
During the 2008-09 season, Reed led the Mountain Hawks to some very noteworthy accomplishments and continued to build upon the solid foundation established at the beginning of his Lehigh career. The accomplishments included the Mountain Hawks’ most non-league wins ever, the best start to a season in decades, the most overall road wins since 1991 and the school’s first-ever victory over a Big East foe. Reed also mentored a pair of All-Patriot League selections in Hall and Carrington. Hall went onto became Lehigh’s first-ever Patriot League Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Carrington was the school’s first All-District selection since 1988.
In his first season as a collegiate head coach, Reed led the Mountain Hawks to the third most wins for a first-year headman in the 108-season history of Lehigh Basketball. Reed’s immediate impact was especially significant considering the squad lost 3,375 career points from the previous year’s senior class and had a very young roster that consisted of 10 of 14 players either in their freshman or sophomore campaigns. Despite those factors, Reed guided the team to more wins than the previous season and the second most victories in the 30-year history of Stabler Arena. Reed also mentored the Mountain Hawks’ second consecutive Patriot League Rookie of the Year in Keefer as Lehigh became the first school in the league to accomplish that feat. In addition, Reed oversaw a defensive unit that held league foe Bucknell to just 39 points on February 27, 2008 - the second fewest points ever allowed by the Brown and White since the inception of Patriot League play in 1990.
Reed, who is one of only 29 Division I men’s basketball head coaches in America under the age of 40, was named Lehigh’s head coach on August 10, 2007. He had been an assistant at Lehigh for the previous five years, serving as associate head coach for the 2006-07 campaign.
During his time at Lehigh as assistant and later associate head coach, Reed performed numerous duties, including the coordination of recruitment, academic mentoring, detailed scouting of opponents and overall player development. He has been very instrumental in securing six consecutive seasons in the upper half of the Patriot League as well as the Mountain Hawks’ 2004 Patriot League Championship and three of the winningest seasons in school history (2003-04, 2005-06, 2009-10).
Prior to his time at Lehigh, Reed served as the top assistant coach at High Point University in North Carolina for two seasons. Reed was an integral part of the coaching staff that led the Panthers to the Big South Championship Game in 2002. Included in that two-year period, Reed recruited a Big South Rookie of the Year and a Player of the Year.
Reed spent the 1999-2000 season as the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of North Carolina - Greensboro. He began his collegiate coaching career at Oakland (Mich.) Community College where he was an assistant for his father’s program.
A native of Waterford, Michigan, Reed attended Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida where he contributed at point guard and helped lead his team to a conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. Reed graduated with honors, earning his Bachelor’s degree in 1995 before earning his Master’s at Wayne State in 1998. In 2003, Reed received his Ph.D. from Wayne State University in Instructional Technology with a Cognate in Sports Administration. He is one of only two Division I men’s basketball head coaches in the entire nation to have earned their doctorate degrees. Reed was also honored during his academic career with a number of awards including the prestigious Thomas C. Rumbell Fellowship.
Reed and his wife Kindra reside in Bethlehem with their sons Brendan and Calvin, and daughter Makenna.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT COACH REED
“Brett Reed is an excellent basketball coach. In just a few years, he has led the resurgence of Lehigh basketball and turned it into a power from the Patriot League. He’s building a program that can withstand one of sport’s ultimate challenges – the test of time. It is undoubtedly an impressive accomplishment.”
- Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University and U.S. National Team Head Coach
“I’ve known Brett Reed for over 10 years, and was fortunate to have him on my staff and watch him develop as a coach. I strongly believe Brett is one of the best young coaches in the country. His performance in 2011-12 was as good as or better than anyone in our profession. He’s an excellent basketball coach on the floor, has incredible demeanor on the sideline and has proven that he is a top-notch recruiter.”
- Fran McCaffery, former Lehigh and current University of Iowa Head Coach
“I am very proud of the success Brett has enjoyed as the head men’s basketball coach at Lehigh University. Brett is extremely intelligent, hard-working and passionate about the game of basketball and is a terrific role model for the young men in his program. I am excited for what Brett has been able to accomplish in his short time as the head coach at Lehigh and am confident that he will continue to be successful for many years to come.”
- Billy Taylor, former Lehigh Head Coach
“Brett Reed was on my staff at High Point University for two years. He proved himself to be an outstanding recruiter, doing a tremendous job on all the details. Time was not a factor. With his knowledge of the game and his honesty, it was no surprise that he’s become an outstanding coach. His honesty and character were a positive influence on all who knew him. If I had a son, I would love for him to play for Coach Reed. I will always consider him a friend and remain very appreciative of what he did for me.”
“Brett Reed was on my staff at High Point University for two years. He proved himself to be an outstanding recruiter, doing a tremendous job on all the details. Time was not a factor. With his knowledge of the game and his honesty, it was no surprise that he’s become an outstanding coach. His honesty and character were a positive influence on all who knew him. If I had a son, I would love for him to play for Coach Reed. I will always consider him a friend and remain very appreciative of what he did for me.”
- Jerry Steele, former High Point University Head Coach
“Brett Reed is respected by our student-athletes, he is an excellent teacher and communicator and has been an extremely productive recruiter. I admire his values, his work ethic, his energy and his devotion to our players, their education and their experience.”
“Brett Reed is respected by our student-athletes, he is an excellent teacher and communicator and has been an extremely productive recruiter. I admire his values, his work ethic, his energy and his devotion to our players, their education and their experience.”
- Joe Sterrett, Lehigh Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics
Season Preview: Men's Basketball
Thursday, October 31
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, October 30
Lehigh Sports Central: Men's Basketball
Wednesday, February 07
Men's Basketball vs SUNY Oneonta
Thursday, November 16
